Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. has revealed on his Curious Mike show that he received hateful messages over his reaction to conservative activist Charlie Kirk's death. Porter had expressed sadness over Kirk's assassination and was disheartened by the responses to it.
"Yesterday the world witnessed Charlie Kirk die," Porter said. "But when I posted on my Instagram story, and I'm like, 'Rest in peace, Charlie. I don't watch the guy's content, but nobody deserves to die like this,' you should have seen the DMs and the reactions that I got from people that were like, 'F him, I'm glad he's dead,' 'Lmao, I'm gonna be spitting on his grave.'
"The amount of hateful messages that I saw, that was what was disheartening to me," Porter added.
Kirk was shot at during a political appearance on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Porter was among the notable individuals from the basketball world who publicly reacted to the fatal shooting. Here's what the 27-year-old wrote in his story on Instagram.
"RIP to Charlie smh. I never watched his stuff, but nobody deserves to die like that. Man had a wife and kids. He was killed for sharing their opinions and giving others the opportunity to share theirs as well. This is sad, man... praying for the family!"
Kirk's controversial views meant Porter's comments didn't go down well among a certain section. He wasn't the only NBA player who got backlash for his reaction to the event, either, as New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson came under fire, too.
Robinson had expressed sympathy for Kirk's surviving family and firmly stood by his comment despite criticism coming his way. He made it clear that no child should grow up without their mother or father.
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and two children. Their daughter was born in August 2022, and their son in May 2024. The kids will grow up without their father, and there was nothing wrong about Robinson expressing dismay over that. One can disagree with Kirk's stances and also be sad for the family.
Getting back to Porter, who was traded to the Nets by the Denver Nuggets this summer, he spoke about why he is so concerned by this incident.
"We live in a sinful world," Porter stated. "There's gonna be really tragic things that happen, but the public reaction to this, to me, is what's really concerning. 'Cause it even makes anybody who wants to speak their mind a little hesitant. There's people dying because they think different than you, and that to me is like a crazy place to be in."
The suspect in this case is 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah. Robinson is in custody and will be formally charged on Tuesday.